Sunday, September 3, 2017

Crafteon – Cosmic Reawakening

“Cosmic Reawakening” is the first album
from American black metal band Crafteon. The band’s approach to the subgenre is
not entirely derivative, as they opt for a more heavy metal-based sound. Of
course, the staple techniques of black metal are present on this record, but
Crafteon isn’t afraid to mix things up with some simpler heavy metal riffing
occasionally. Like much black metal, the music sometimes wanders aimlessly,
with no clear goal in sight. This isn’t inherently problematic, however, as
Crafteon aims to build a dark atmosphere through their music, and the winding
path the music takes is effective at achieving this. It helps that the
production perfectly complements the band’s sound. This album is far from
lo-fi, but it has an echo to it that makes the vocals and the drums in
particular feel somewhat distant. The end result is that the guitars and,
surprisingly, the bass, take center stage. Both “Dagon” and “The Colour Out of
Space” stand out as tracks with excellent low-end work, but there is no shortage of great bass lines.

Though “Cosmic Reawakening” is
authentic-sounding black metal, it struggles to be anything more than that. The
aimless song structures result in few memorable moments, and though the
mid-paced pounding tempos are preferable to the hyperfast blasting of most
black metal, they aren’t particularly impactful after you’ve heard them a few
times. Many tracks offer an endless array of 16th note double bass
beneath quarter or eighth note chugging guitars. The half-growled,
half-shrieked vocals let out tortured screams atop this straightforward
approach. Occasionally, the band’s drummer will double up on speed, resulting
in a more aggressive sound. No matter what Crafteon is doing, they do it well.
Not much can be said beyond this because unless you’re a major black metal fan,
this album isn’t one you’ll likely revisit. It deserves all the credit in the
world for being competently put together and true to more mid-paced black
metal, but it lacks some of the brilliance of the subgenre’s heavy hitters.